Beginnings

Inside all of us is a wild thing; a longing for a life filled with wild joy.

Our dreams reside in the quiet parts of our souls. Those dreams we are loathe to share with most people are the ones most dear to us, the ones we are afraid of losing should even a word of their crazy ambition escape.

My dream is to, within a few short years, purchase at least forty acres and begin my homestead. Not just a homestead as the new 'Back to the Land' movement sees it though. I would like to, eventually, learn to live and thrive without electricity, gasoline or oil-powered appliances, and city-provided water.

I have not shared this with many of the people closest to me. Mostly in fear of their rejection of my ideas and because they are very good at talking me out of things. I know they won't mean to squash my dreams, and would only be looking to give practical advice, but sometimes a dream needs to be lived without judgment from others.

I know it will be hard. I know it is contrary to what most people consider normal. I don't know if I can do it, but I will try. That's the key to everything right? All those inspirational quotes say that trying is the most important part of life. That to get anywhere you have to try. To take risks and leap without looking.

The life I am seeking is an old one, but I believe it is the right one. So many passage of the Holy Bible point to an agrarian lifestyle, but here are the two that speak to the deepest places in my soul.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

Jeremiah 6:16
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls."

Until I can actually purchase my land, I will be striving to learn everything I can in preparation. I will be canning fruits at home and vegetables with a friend’s mother. I will be growing my first garden, learning to make soap and eventually, making the lye for my soap. Cheesemaking, milking, livestock management, cooking from scratch, and home remedies are all things I am going to familiarize myself with as much as I can until I get to the point of that wonderful purchase.

I intend this blog to be part story, part resource for any others on this same (or similar) path.

Thank you for joining me.